The sports facility company was handed the award for its work on an elite-performance, indoor tennis centre at Ellesmere College in Shropshire.

ROCKLYN Sports beat competition from 17 other finalists to win the SAPCA Award 2017. Working in partnership with Veldeman Structures, Rocklyn Sports supplied a fabric-framed system covering four tennis courts, built to LTA standards. The company – the sports facility arm of Northern Ireland-based Rocklyn Engineering – provided a nose-to-tail service on the project, from detailed digital concepts, technical drawings and assistance during the planning process through to the building works. The centre took approximately nine months

to complete and each of the four courts has been named after an inspirational member of the Shropshire tennis community – such as Barbara Goolden, founder of the Tennis Academy at Ellesmere. Gareth Howe, sales manager at Rocklyn

Sports, said the Ellesmere project is the largest of its kind the company has completed in England. He added that the planning support it offered to the college was crucial in order for the centre to be built as originally intended. “One of the challenges we had was that the local planning officers wanted to change the

plans by initially insisting on an opaque roof,” he said. &#34;We immediately arranged a meeting,

explaining how a translucent roof ensures the centre benefits from natural light and has a positive effect on the playing environment and sustainability of the facility.&#34; Ellesmere College already houses impressive

tennis facilities – including six floodlit courts and nine artificial grass courts – but the new indoor centre means students and the local community now have an indoor centre capable of hosting sessions all year round. Headmaster Brendan Wignall said: “It&#39;s an

enormous building and a fantastic facility. We already have a national reputation for our sporting prowess and this development will further strengthen that status. It will not only allow us to develop our tennis to an even higher standard, but should help more people get involved in tennis across the community.” As one of the college’s most popular sorts,

120 students already play tennis every week. The college plans to further grow participation among students as well as the wider community.